CCHQ’s cardboard cut-out Charlies ain’t as menacing as the proper Charlie…

With the Osborne and Cameron operation moving over from the Norman Shaw building on the Parliamentary Estate  to CCHQ on the fifth floor of Millbank, it is interesting to note who has been given the chop. The latest floor-plan reveals the fact that, unannounced, Ashcroft has lost his much discussed “office” in the centre of operations.  He has been turfed out and it has been turned into a proof-reading area and editing suite, clearly they have decided it is more important to check the small-print.  A case of “thanks for all the cash m’lord, goodbye!”

The policy unit has been pushed further and further from the centre and replaced with even more spinners, which illustrates campaign priorities. Perhaps worryingly for the embattled shadow Chancellor his desk space is listed as “George Osborne / Hotdesk”, as is often the way with offices using temporary staff.  There are a mere 6 double-barrelled names listed in the 200 strong operation.  See, the Tories really have changed!

Downloadable PDF: here.

The Tories are today unveiling their technology manifesto. The “Google Government” talk of the last few years has become a promise, though it remains to be seen how it will be implemented. Francis Maude just told the launch that the next generation of Googles and Microsofts “should be British“.

Despite the best intentions of the fastest broadband network in Europe, without a real cut in corporation taxes, particularly on capital gains, research and development, the UK isn’t going to have a rival to Silicon Valley anytime soon…

The Guardian have tried doing a hatchet job on right-wing kiddy trainers the Young Britons’ Foundation.  Apparently YBF acolytes visited a firing range while in the U.S. to shoot off some AK-47s, so this means Dave is going to repeal the handgun ban. Well that was the line pumped by one Mrs Bob Marshall-Andrews, the wife of the stalwart Labour MP, who happens to work for the anti-firearms lobby. No mention of the relationship in the article though.

In Guido’s student days we went to actual war zones, not firing ranges, to shoot off Ak47s. Given that Eric Pickles just last Wednesday gave a speech to YBF, praising them and getting them fired up for the coming ground war, it seems somewhat pathetic for him to be trying to distance himself.  Guido was wondering what exactly is wrong with shooting off a few rounds?  After all a right-wing gun nut was Britain’s finest Prime Minister.  The Guardian make it sound like they are being trained for a military coup. They shouldn’t worry too much though, as Guido told the YBF audience just after Pickles had addressed them – they aren’t nearly extreme enough.

They should spend more time on the firing range and less time trying to climb the greasy pole.

There is growing resentment in some quarters with Michael Ashcroft, the feeling is that his Lordship has unnecessarily made difficulties for the Tories by waiting till this late moment to come clean.

There is also a concern that in deciding to sue, at this time, the Indy (over allegations of corruption) he is guaranteeing more bad headlines during the campaign.  He is being cut loose already, the Tories are ruthless about these things, CCHQ is briefing that

“Michael Ashcroft has said that he is standing down as deputy chairman of the Conservative party after the election to concentrate on his media and business interests. Under the ministerial code this would exclude him from holding a government post.”

In the words of Douglas Adams, the Cameroons are saying: So long and thanks for all the cash…

Peter Bingle has a point doesn’t he? Guido, like Bingle, talks to CCHQ insiders, spin-merchants, activists, media allies and wonks every day – almost all are agreed.  It has been shambolic since January and the Tories are on the back foot.

Examining Bingle’s critique point-by-point:

Ashcroft was an entirely foreseeable problem, Tory high command hoped that because they had squared the Electoral Commission they had buried the problem.  A strategic miscalculation based on wishful thinking.  It completely undermines the “Cameron cleaning up politics” message of financial transparency.  Told you so.

“Nobody knows what the Tory Party stands for any more.” Change is not an ideology, it is a process.  Repeating the word over and over again is not a substitute for communicating thought out policies.  Splitting the difference on policy, a.k.a. Finkism, might not scare off voters but nor does it get the vote out. Being 5% to the right of Blair with a dash of euroscepticism will not inspire people much.  Voters want change for the better. Shadow ministers offering only a change of management and almost no change in policy won’t get the voters on their feet cheering.

Bingle says the advertising has hurt the Tories.  In truth the advertising campaign posters have been mixed.  Adverts need to address voter concerns simply and memorably. Labour might be right – in the digital age do paper posters even work that well?

“What is the strategy?” Steve Hilton better communicate it to the rank and file in a way that inspires confidence.  There is striking irony in his top down diktats about localism, decentralisation, transparency and the importance of feedback in a post-bureaucratic age. Mandelson fights for his strategy from the front, Hilton sends memos from the back room.

Something Bingle didn’t focus on is policy development.  We are weeks from the election and the Tories have still not formulated the policies they are going to fight on.  No, really.  Even when they do announce a policy it frequently unravels.

Guido will give you an example of a policy announcement that is going to unravel.  We are told there will be a pro-business cut in the corporate tax rate, signalling that the Tories want to reduce the tax burden. We haven’t been given the exact details, just the gist of the policy.

Except, according to Mark Hoban, they will claw back the tax reduction by changing the treatment of various tax allowances such that the overall change will be revenue neutral.  The effective rate of tax on corporations will be unchanged.  It is change for the sake of a headline, a financial sleight of hand typical of Gordon Brown.  Most businesses would rather not suffer the administrative upheaval if they are not going to get any revenue benefit.  It is pure Finkism, signal an aspiration and promise to maintain the fiscal status quo.

Finkism is a product of fear.  Fear of losing again.  The Cameroons hoped that power would slip into their hands, they fear that if they do anything radical or bold they will lose.  There is the alternative possibility that if they don’t clearly communicate a message of “change for the better”, not just a change of personnel, they will fail to make a compelling case.  In only one area are they offering a radical change – education – with the result that the government is moving towards them policy-wise.  If the Tories offered a bold change from high tax, high spending policies the government would not be able to match them, voters would have a real choice.  Fink claims that voters don’t believe politicians promising tax cuts. That is not a failure of the policy, it is a failure of politicians to communicate credibly.

Guido tweeted last night that Carol Vorderman seemed to be going a little Palin-esque for her appearance on Question Time. It turned out to be more than just the look. For someone who has been on television for donkey’s years, her performance last night was less than exemplary. Reading constantly from CCHQ briefing notes she gave a blizzard of Tory lines.  As head of the Conservative “Maths Task Force” Vorderman seems to be edging towards a peerage, though this idea took a hit last night.  Clearly someone in the Tory high command is a fan though.

Who could it be that is guiding the rise of Vorderman? Well Guido remembers hearing a certain Lord, like many men of a certain age, had rather a soft spot for her even before she was brought into the fold.  Maybe in return for that peerage, Carol could help Ashcroft with his numbers…

There were grumbles from the blue rinse brigade when the Tories moved their conferences from the seaside and signed up to have them in Manchester or Birmingham for the next few years. Guido isn’t sure that the branching out strategy had to go quite as far as stealing the design of Manchester City FC’s website:

Compare and contrast for yourself.

Given that candidates have been on the highest state of alert since the new year, gearing up to an election that could be called at any moment, Guido is unsurprised by the amount of anger this latest blunder has caused. It would appear that the printing company that CCHQ were using went bust leaving constituencies and their agents stranded and angry. CCHQ are working to calm the situation:

“I understand there was a problem last week because the firm went into administration and its suppliers were ceasing to fulfil orders. However, they have now been taken over by a large company and suppliers have resumed service. I have referred this to our people who will take it up with the company and are going to be very firm with them. Sorry you have had this problem”

For three years the Tories have been noisily demanding that Brown calls an election, now with less than one hundred days to go, they are terrified he might do it too soon.

Congratulations are in order to Nick King of the Conservative Research Department who, when sending a relatively mundane memo to every Tory candidate in the country, managed to forget to BCC the list. Now whether or not CCHQ would want the personal account details of every PPC made available to each other in easy troublemaking format is one thing, but it mysteriously ended up in someone else’s inbox too…

Go on, make Guido an offer he can’t refuse…

Update 10.54: It seems there are too many Nick Kings in the Conservative Party. Guido is most sorry for confusing Nick King the PPC for Mid Dorset, which would explain why it was so easy to find a picture of him, with Nick King of CCHQ.